Search:

From Basic Van to VW Cool - Where the VW Camper Came From

How Did it all Start?
When the British were managing the VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany shortlyafter the Second World War, it was run down . The engineers had made up flatbed trucks using the VW Beetle chassis and running gear to move parts round the large factory.
When he visited the factory, Ben Pon, a Dutch garage owner, noticed the little trucks. These gave him an idea.He(sketched a design for a beetle-based van, which was basicallyjust a box on wheels, after he was inspired by the basic but effective plattenwagens. A year later, Heinz Nordhoff took on this idea after he became CEO of Volkswagen and the new VW van was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in the autumn of 1949.
Europe was restructuringand there was a lack of simple but sturdy transport vehicles that were adaptable and low cost. The Type 2 VW a good solution.
On the 8th March 1950 ten vans a day began to roll off the production line. The same rear engine design survived for forty years and over five million VW buses made.
The Split Windscreen Vans
The type 2 vans had a split windscreen with a sweeping v-line front and a oversized VW emblem. These buses were 170 cubic feet (about 4.8 cubic metres)capacity and were spacious enough to take a 15-handhorse.
The vantookthe engine and running gear from the Beetle but witha unitary construction witha ladder frame instead of a central frame platform. The plan was to adapt the Beetle chassis, but this was not adequate to take the proposed payload of 750kg, so there was a speedy redesignin 1949 before the launch.
The ladder frame is two lengthwise parallel beams where the suspension, engine, transmission etc are mounted. This makes a good loading platform but the handling is poor, because of a lack ofstiffness, so it performs badlywhen cornering.
The air-cooled engine had1131cc and an only 25hp but not long after (in 1954) the engine size was increased to 1192cc and 30hp. The VW van was designed as an every day workhorse vehicle, built to take loads at moderate speeds.
An important factor in the design of the front was the result of wind tunnel testing at the Braunschweig University. The flat panelled front of the prototype got mediocre results, but the new design was much superior, as the Type 2 was aerodynamically superior to the Type 1 Beetle even with its slab-sided shape. This design also resulted in the iconic and gently rounded front with the incorporationof the V moulding and great big VW badge.
VW found the design could easily be adaptedto a wide variety of models. Theseincluded buses, pick-ups, fire engines, rear-door ambulances, beer wagons, refrigerated ice-cream vans, milk floats, mobile butchers shops, bread vans, travelling grocers, ordinary delivery vans and best of all the VW camper – more than 90 different models.
Changes in Model Type
Production of the Type 2 van lasted from 1950 to 1967 with several modifications, which were were carried through to the type 2 VW campers as well. The engine size was gradually increased from 1100 to 1500cc and in 1963 the sliding side door became available as an option to the barn doors.
The front extended roof can be seen on models from 1955 onwards, it became possible to increase load dimensions when the engine bay became smaller and 15 inch wheels became standard.
The electrical system was changed to 12 volts not long before the new type (bay window) was introduced in 1967.
The Birth of the VW Camper
Volkswagen subcontracted the VW camper interior fitting to Westfalia, a coach building company who were inthe German region of Westphalia. From 1951 onwards the company fitted the buses with a variety of internal layouts. An innovative ‘Tourist Delivery Scheme’ encouraging people to collect their campers from Germany, aided the sale of VW campers, with a number bought by US servicemen stationed in Germany, who brought them back to the US.
VW campers were also soon available from VW dealers round the world.
The VW camper took off due to its well-designed interiors that provided relative comfort were produced between 1951 and 1958These were followed by the SO models which had a range of special equipment.
What was in a VW Camper?
The standard VW campers included different fold out seat arrangements for sleeping, including the famous rock ‘n roll bed. The interior had plywood panels plusand there were a range of cabinets in a variety of layouts.
Some models had a sink and there was water storage with a pump plus an electrical hook-up. All the VW Campers came with curtains, jalousie windows and a folding table.
Optional equipment for type 2 VW campers included pop up tops and attachable or stand-alone tents and side awnings. Mod cons available included a portable chemical toilet, a camping stove and other camping equipment.
There were also ingenious options such as a child’s sleeping cot slung in the driver’s cab, storage boxes and a swing table.
The early VW Campers were very much products of their time, reflecting 1950's design standards, which makes them rather basic and cramped.
VW Camper Culture
This did not affect their popularity and the VW bus was adopted by the 1960s counter-culture as by then older campers were available cheaply, and both the VW camper and the samba bus suited the carefree outdoor hippy lifestyle.
Early VW Campers are now rare and are lovingly (and expensively) restored.
Large numbers of VW camper fans gather at events all over the world; you can hire a restored splittie for your holiday or special event, and VW Campers have found their way on to mugs and T shirts, pictures, toys and even usb sticks.
It’s all a long way from Ben Pon’s little sketch 60 years ago.